On the Larry Derfner affair

It was last week, while marching in J Street's day of action for two states, that I was shocked to learn of what Larry Derfner had written on his personal blog, explicitly justifying Palestinian terrorism.  As a result, he's been fired as a columnist for The Jerusalem Post, even though he had published an apology and withdrawn the objectionable blog post.

It's clear (even within the full context of what he wrote then) that Derfner meant to shock Israelis into action against the occupation and for a two-state solution rather than to applaud Palestinian terrorism.  I'm somewhat divided on whether The Post should have fired him.  Following his apology and explanation, it can be argued that the firing was not justified.  On the other hand, The Post faced an understandable backlash from many readers.

His blogging colleague, Dimi Reider, has pointed out that the right-leaning Post does not discipline its right-wing writers for their misdeeds.  I'd add that The Jerusalem Post was absolutely wrong for firing Naomi Chazan during the Im Tirtzu-New Israel Fund brouhaha last year.

Robert Mackey, in his NY Times Lede blog, has admirably summed up the issues in this matter.  He also includes important links and references, should you want to examine this further.

As for the substance of Derfner's writing, what occupation still means for the Palestinians, I recommend this article by Haaretz West Bank correspondent Amira Hass.  Although I can do without her overall anti-Zionist perspective, this is a taste of why I'm recommending it:

.... What does it mean when Supreme Court justices allow the separation barrier to turn the village of Walajeh into a ghetto? Does it mean they're not afraid of the International Court of Justice in the Hague? ... What does it mean that in the midst of a period of calm in the West Bank, Israel Defense Forces soldiers kill two young men in Qalandiyah, that Civil Administration officials issue demolition orders, that the military court arrests Palestinian children on suspicion of throwing rocks and the civil court releases settlers who are suspected of nearly splitting the head of a Palestinian boy?....

J St.'s 'Day of Action' for 2 states

A number of MUSA people participated in J Street's national action day on Tues., Aug. 23, part of its "Two-State Summer" campaign.  We were among about 100 pro-Israel/pro-peace activists addressed by journalist Peter Beinart, at the busy Manhattan corner of 42nd St. and 5th Ave. 

Beinart spoke briefly and effectively, emphasizing the vital Jewish interest in forging a viable two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians. He began: “We come here not because we take lightly the murder of Israeli Jews, our brothers and sisters in Israel. Quite the opposite.” Then he referred to Tisha B'Av, when Jews traditionally recall the destruction of the first and second Temples in Jerusalem and the end of Israelite/Jewish independence both times--remembering also that “ethical collapse preceded physical collapse." 

In referring to Pres. Obama, Beinart mentioned that he is, at bottom, a self-interested politician, and that he cannot want a peaceful solution for Israel more than we do as Jews.  So it's up to us to press this issue and this goal with our governmental representatives and leaders. 

With Rangel staffer: Gil's at right (photo by Laura Mahalel)

We then proceeded, under police escort, with our banners and in our J Street/two-states tee-shirts to present thousands of postcards with the two-state solution message to aides of Senators Schumer and Gillibrand at their respective New York offices nearby.  After this, some of us formed delegations that went to the offices of US Representatives Rangel, Nadler and Maloney. 

I went with Gil Kulick (a retired US diplomat who is a leading activist in the New York City local of J Street) to our Congressman's office, that of Charles Rangel in Harlem.  This is Gil's report: 

The meeting with Congressman Rangel's office took place in the plaza in front of the Federal Office Building in Harlem, which had been evacuated because of the East Coast earthquake, which fortunately nobody felt.  The seven-person J Street delegation comprised Gil Kulick, Adi Mahalel, Laura Mahalel, Ralph Seliger, Amy Fass, Abram Epstein, and Liora Amira.  We met with Rangel's aide Jeff Margolies, a long-time acquaintance of mine from Brit Tzedek days, who we ran into in the crowd in the plaza.  

I explained what the two-state summer campaign was about and our strongly-felt need for members of Congress and the public to recognize that there is very significant, widespread support for President Obama's efforts and policies in the U.S. Jewish community.  Hence, the 40,000 post cards we've collected nationwide and the observance of the Day of Action in 37 communities, spanning almost 100 Congressional districts across the U.S. 

Accompanied by a very talented, high-volume Motown singer entertaining the evacuees in the background, each member of the delegation introduced her/himself and added a short personal statement.  Adi and  I presented the post cards to Jeff, Laura took pictures, Jeff said he would convey the cards and our message to Congressman Rangel, and a good time was had by all. --Gil

Liora and I flank Jeff Margolies (photo by Laura)

Unfortunately, but also amusingly, some onlookers wondered what two states we were referring to. Looking at our placards and tee-shirts calling for "two states," one bystander asked why we'd want to divide New York into two states.

Adi (left) with Gil; Amy is behind Adi (photo by Laura)

Jeremy Ben-Ami's J St. book

Jeremy Ben-Ami

No, I haven't yet read “A New Voice for Israel: Fighting for the Survival of the Jewish Nation" (Palgrave MacMillan), but I did attend the New York book launch last week, in the form of a discussion between J Street founder and president Jeremy Ben-Ami and the New York Times writer James Traub.  A substantial number of people braved the ungodly heat to be there.

What I want to address here is the review by Ami Eden, the editor in chief of the JTA news service.  Eden is critical but not truly hostile in his view of J Street.  The problem is that he's not always accurate. 

His most problematic point is on the contentious matter of George Soros.
Eden writes: "J Street had spent years essentially denying Soros was a donor when in fact he was one of the organization’s biggest funders."

Soros withdrew from the group that was planning J Street's creation. As I wrote in a news article in In These Times magazine, May 2008:

On April 12, 2007, Soros indicated in an article in the New York Review of Books that attacks on his character prompted him to withdraw his involvement from the group so as not to damage its efforts. As a result, Soros is not among the 100 people named on J Street’s advisory council.

What became a public relations nightmare for J Street was the revelation that Soros has contributed several hundred thousand dollars (significant for J Street but chump change for Soros) leaving the unfortunate but false impression that J Street had lied about Soros.  The real problem is that Soros is unjustly demonized in much of the Jewish community as anti-Israel.    

But Eden goes on to write that J Street's positions are not extreme and not hostile to Israel.  He concludes:

You don’t like J Street’s policies? Jewish Voice for Peace supports some boycotts and divestment measures targeting Israel and takes no position on whether it backs a two-state solution.
You don’t like J Street’s tactics? JVP activists heckled Israel’s prime minister at another Jewish organization’s conference.
By comparison, Ben-Ami’s talk about Zionism, support for U.S. aid to Israel and opposition to the BDS movement sound downright establishment. And if JVP's influence and popularity grow, it might not be long before establishment folks start telling themselves that maybe J Street wasn’t so bad after all.

"President Obama has made it okay to hate Israel!"

By Findalis of Monkey in the Middle

Was a recent comment that Joel Pollak gave to INN.

Joel Barry Pollak was born on April 25, 1977 in Johannesburg, South Africa, his parents emigrated to the United States shortly after his birth. He became a U.S. Citizen in 1987. He grew up in the Chicago suburbs, principally in Skokie. He attended Solomon Schechter Day School and Niles North High School, where he was the class valedictorian in 1995.

Joel graduated magna cum laude from Harvard with a joint degree in Social Studies and Environmental Science &Public Policy. His master's degree is in Jewish Studies from the University of Cape Town in 2006. He graduated from Harvard Law School in 2009. In December 2009 he wed Julia Inge Bertelsmann.

He is the author of:

The Kasrils Affair: Jews and Minority Politics in the New South Africa

Don’t Tell Me Words Don’t Matter: How Rhetoric Won the 2008 Presidential Election

He is the Republican candidate for the 9th Congressional District trying to defeat 6 term incumbent Jan Schakowsky.

Here are some excerpts from the INN article:

A Conversation with Joel Pollak - Candidate for Chicago's 9th congressional district

As candidates from both sides of the aisle feverishly stump to achieve a victory in the upcoming November mid-term elections, pundits and opinion makers have been focusing on a small but highly significant race for Chicago's 9th congressional district. It is in this suburban Chicago setting where political neophyte Joel B. Pollak (R) is seeking to unseat the incumbent, Rep.Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) who is running for her seventh term in congress.

Israel National News spoke with Mr. Pollak, a soft spoken 33 year-old Orthodox Jew and Harvard trained lawyer who decided to throw his hat in the political ring for the very first time. "I grew up in a secular home but my parents and I became observant Jews and I learned first hand of the special significance that Israel holds for the Jewish people" says Pollak. "I love Israel – not just because it is my religious homeland, and not just because of my family roots there, but also because of the principle that it represents. The State of Israel stands for the idea that an oppressed people can take control of its own destiny, and build freedom and prosperity with nothing more than faith and hard work. It is the same idea that built America. That is why our two countries are so close, and will remain so," he declares.

Pollak, a resident of Skokie, a predominantly Jewish Chicago suburb, says that he is running for Congress because there is a failure of leadership in Washington and that the concerns of his constituents are not being addressed by their current representative. "I'm outraged that Congress did not raise their voices in indignation over the fact that "war crimes" were committed against Israel during the Gaza flotilla debacle. Our government should demand accountability from those responsible for this attempted act of murder against Israeli soldiers and that includes Turkey and Iran. We must immediately reassess our relationship with Turkey and those countries who foster terrorism. Israel is facing existential perils that are graver than they ever were before and my opponent just does not understand that. President Obama has made it okay to hate Israel," he intoned.

The Weekly Standard has reported that "Rep.Jan Schakowsky is one of the top recipients of campaign cash from J Street, the far-left organization that opposes Israel at every opportunity. It turns out that J Street has taken $750,000 from George Soros, despite the earlier denials of J Street executive director Jeremy Ben-Ami."

Moreover, at a recent Schakowsky fundraiser in Chicago, Helen Thomas, the former doyenne of the White House press corps appeared as the featured speaker and guest. Thomas, a long time pro-Palestinian apologist, achieved notoriety this past May 27th when she told Rabbi David Nesenoff after a White House Jewish Heritage event that the Jews should "get the hell out of Palestine" and went on to say that the Palestinian people “are occupied and it’s their land” and that Israelis should “go home” -- to Poland, Germany, America “and everywhere else.” Commenting on this, Mr. Pollak said, "Rep. Schakowsky and her guests were well aware of Thomas’s record of anti-Israel rhetoric, and were invited to distance themselves from her views. None did. Instead, Rep. Schakowsky declared proudly of Thomas: “She’s so awesome!”

On domestic issues Mr. Pollak stands in stark contrast to his opponent who has virtually rubber stamped the Obama agenda of redistribution of wealth, entitlements, government bailouts and health care reform. "I will introduce laws to roll back government interference in the economy. With appropriate regulations in place, the government should divest itself of the large chunks of the banking, insurance and automotive sectors it recently took over. We need to send the right signals to workers and entrepreneurs that the U.S. is once again a nation committed to free enterprise, job creation and economic growth", said Pollak.

On October 17th, Mr. Pollak received the endorsement of "To Protect Our Heritage" the Midwest's oldest and largest bi-partisan, pro-Israel PAC. Their endorsement statement said of Pollak: "We are convinced that Joel Pollak will be a stronger advocate for the critical relationship between our country and Israel. In seeking out ways to strengthen the ties and protect Israel, he will be helping both nations."Concerning Pollak's opponent, TPOH expressed their thoughts by saying, "Problematic are Rep. Schakowsky’s strong ties with individuals and groups such as J Street. J Streethas labeled itself as pro-Israel; however, its underlying mission has been revealed to be the weakening of bi-partisan Congressional support for Israel by, among other tactics, drawing away Democratic support for that relationship. Rep. Schakowsky, by her staunch support of J Street since its inception – and she has been a main if not the main beneficiary of J Street fundraising efforts – likely unwittingly threatens to make Israel a partisan issue between the two political parties."

Mr. Pollak has also been endorsed by Harvard law school professor Alan Dershowitz who was a featured speaker at his fundraising event.

Read the full article here.

For those of you who do not remember this man this might jar your memory:











Harvard student takes on Rep Frank




Pollak's opponent Jan Schakowsky supports J Street, the Obama Agenda and Helen Thomas.

Joel Pollak is showing himself to be a new breed of Chicago Politician.  Young, Conservative, and Republican.  He supports limited government, lower taxes and is a supporter of Israel.


I wish I lived in the 9th District.

Monkey in the Middle proudly endorses Joel Pollak for Congress.